Of All Places
by KanaYuzuki
Summary: One of Sakura's feathers has brought them to a frozen winter world, much to Fai's dismay. THIS is not an accurate adaptation of the anime or manga! Read inside description for a more detailed explanation :)
1. Celes Country

**This is not supposed to be accurate to the manga or anime. (even tho i loved both of them!) This is my interpretation of their encounter in Celes Country with King Ashura :P This was the anime that really got me started and I will forever have the utmost respect for the creators and writers of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles! Hope you like it :) This was purely for fun and out of boredom! And of course the whole encounter was completely cut out of the anime, so i decided to depict the beginning as i saw fit :P**

When the translucent forcefield encasing them vanished they all found themselves piled on top of each other in a large heap with Mokona perched on the top of Sakura's head.

"We're here! Welcome to a brand new world!" he announced triumphantly.

Fai chuckled. "Not one of your most graceful landings, Mokona." he said lightheartedly, but wedged in between Kurogane and Syaoran.

Sakura and Syaoran began to laugh in agreement with Fai and Mokona when a irritated voice interrupted them.

"Yeah yeah it's all real funny. But why the hell am I always the one stuck on the bottom of the pile?!"

"Kuro-poo isn't very happy!" Mokona announced playfully while bouncing up and down.

"You're damn right I'm not very happy! So would all of you get off of me?!"

Everyone quickly moved off of each other to give Kurogane some room. While he had the worst temper of them all, none of them were really scared of him. He was hard on the outside but a big softy on the inside and Fai always had the most fun pointing that out to him, even if it annoyed him to no end.

Kurogane rubbed the back of his stiff neck, he was a strong man but sometimes it was just too much and the change in temperature wasn't doing anything to improve his mood. Syaoran and Sakura looked around in awe at their new surroundings but just as they stood up a brisk wind suddenly swept past them forcing them to quickly button their thin coats. Syaoran saw Sakura shiver and instantly ran over to her as he took off his own coat and wrapped it around her. She smiled back at him gratefully.

"But Syaoran you could get sick…" she quickly said, her voice full of concern.

Syaoran only smiled back at her warmly as he shook his head. "Don't worry about me, Princess. I'll be fine."

"Che. You stupid cream puff, of all the places you had to drop us off at! Damn it's freezing!"

"Indeed…" Kurogane heard Fai whisper to himself wearing a distant expression on his face.

"Mokona didn't mean to! Mokona's really sorry!" Mokona sadly said in third person and looked back apologetically at Sakura and Syaoran.

Syaoran walked over to Mokona to pick it up and placed him on his shoulder with a reassuring smile as he lightly petted his head.

"It's alright Mokona, you can't control it. But for now we should look for some shelter from this blizzard."

Kurogane nodded as he stood up with the others. The kid was always the one with the level head. In an attempt to see through the harsh winds he cupped a hand over his eyes and squinted, although it didn't do much good; he could only make out another two meters before he was forced to look down again. Even when Syaoran put on his goggles he still couldn't see clearly enough.

"There's a cave off in that direction." Fair suddenly said, breaking their silence.

With not a moment to lose they quickly spun on their heels to head off in the direction he had motioned towards; with not one of them wondering how he had even seen far enough to know where they were going. Finally, after 10 minutes of fighting against the strong winds and bits of hail that had begun coming down, they made it to the cave. It didn't seem like they would all fit, but once they stepped inside they realized that the cave was actually at least 20 feet deep, and with the opening so small it gave good protection from the weather outside.

Without the winds there to pierce them, Sakura quickly handed Syaoran back his coat, which he shyly accepted. It wasn't perfect but Kurogane was content with sitting farthest away from the entrance. After their eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting of the cave they looked at the walls in wonderment. They were not made of usual rock, but were instead made of a blue crystalized ice. Some sections were almost smooth enough that Sakura could nearly see her reflection.

"Beautiful…" she breathed.

Syaoran nodded as he looked closer at the walls. Their surface seemed to be reflecting what little light was able to enter the cave. It made the cave appear brighter. It was curious indeed.

"I wonder what world this is?" he said aloud.

"Some twisted 'winter wonderland' probably." Kurogane retorted. He hadn't meant to be harsh, but this weather and new scenery really got on his nerves, but as to why, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Fai chuckled in response to Kurogane's comment. Kurogane glanced over towards Fai's position in annoyance to see a simple smile plastered across the wizard's face. His face seemed as carefree as ever, he was clearly used to the cold, but what caught Kurogane's eye was when he stared back at the entrance and the grip on his staff tightened. He cleared his throat to get his attention.

"You're awfully quiet." he asked as he furrowed his eyebrows skeptically. Fai only widened his smile before replying.

"Silly Kuro-tan! you're imagining things again." Fai chuckled back. Kurogane rolled his eyes and stood back up. "Spit it out, where are we?" his aggressive tone took Syaoran and Sakura by surprise. Fai's bright blue eyes briefly glinted back at him before he resumed his usual smile. "Kuro-rin is sharper than he looks!" he cooed back at Kurogane.

"It's 'cuz Kuro-poo is always so moody!" Mokona chirped. Fai nodded in agreement as Mokona settled down on his shoulder. "At least I'm not a liar." Kurogane's retort caused Fai's expression to darken before he allowed his blond locks to cover most of his expression.

"This is Celes Country. My home." he finally replied with a distant expression gracing his fine features.

"But didn't you wish never to return to your home?" Syaoran asked.

Fai looked back at him with a remorseful expression tugging at the sides of his smile. "Yes, but Sakura's feather called us here." Mokona looked down at his feet and gently rubbed against Fai's cheek. "Mokona's really really sorry!" Fai pet Mokona on the head. "It's alright, Mokona."

"So what's the big deal about this place?" Kurogane asked a bit insensitively. Fai sighed. "Nothing special." he answered with another fake smile covering his face.

"Mekkyon!" Suddenly Mokona's eyes grew wide and his ears stood straight up. "Mokona senses Sakura's feather now that the storm has subsided. It's wayyyy up high!"

They all poked their heads just outside the cave to look up. Indeed the storm had stopped which gave them a clear view of the starless sky. Their eyes widened at the sight of a large, dark castle with what seemed to be glowing wings keeping it above ground.

"What the hell is that?" Kurogane finally asked.

Fai hesitated before replying. "That's Ruval Castle. That's where we'll find Sakura's feather."

**Bah! i looked more closely at the actual storyline for this particular scene… and i just can't do it justice! so i'll stop for now... but I still wanted to put it up just to see what people thought, I've been trying to improve my writing style little by little so Reviews would be greatly appreciated :)**


	2. Welcome back

**Did my best to continue! I keep going back to the original storyline to make sure i'm not too off basis, but i've made it my own and have just skimmed over the original; poor Fai :'( Hope you like it :) **

The three of them continued to gawk at Ruval Castle. It was truly a sight to behold. The magnificent wings above the castle looked like a radiant aurora gently floating in the sky.

Seeing the troubled expression painted across Fai's face Kurogane decided to break the constant gaping.

"Well let's get this over with." he said as he pushed through to the front and slung his sword over his shoulder. Syaoran and Sakura nodded with determination and enthusiasm while Mokona began bouncing up and down on Syaoran's shoulder again. He stole another glance over at Fai but the wizard already had another goofy smile covering his face.

"_Che; That guy should learn to open up a little_.' He thought to himself.

With the storm subsided they had a clear shot through the soft snow up to Ruval Castle. As they made their way up to the the castle they passed numerous houses and buildings; all deserted. Sakura hugged her her own shoulders as an ominous aura filled the air.

"Something doesn't feel right…" she said quietly. The others nodded in agreement. It just seemed to easy.

When they reached the end of the dark buildings a large staircase finally came into view. With Sakura in the lead she began to walk towards it and just as she was about to rest her foot on the first step Syaoran suddenly grabbed one of her arms and pulled her back. Startled she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What's the deal, kid?" Kurogane asked gruffly.

"The stairs, they're not real." he said in a hushed tone. The others looked back at the stair curiously and sure enough they began to fade until they were translucent and you could see the other side of the gap. Sakura gasped while Kurogane crossed him arms in irritation. "Now how will we get to Ruval Castle?" Sakura asked meekly.

Syaoran helped her to stand up again before giving her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Princess. I will get back your feathers no matter what." Sakura smiled shyly back at him.

_"Fukka Shourai!" _

Syaoran shouted and in an instant they were teleported to the true entrance of Ruval Castle. "Nice trick." Kurogane smirked. Syaoran nodded back and stared back at the large doorway before them. It was so menacing, it seemed like it foreshadowed what was to come. He took a deep breath and made sure his sword was at a ready position before pushing open the enormous vault-like doors. There was no turning back now.

They doors opened revealing a grand hall way, with beautiful architecture carved from crystalized ice at every angle, but their awe was short lived; Sakura let out a horrified gasp. Scattered everywhere were dozens of corpses, they all looked to be soldiers of Ruval Castle. But that wasn't the most disturbing part. Even Kurogane gazed in shock when he realized that the clothes they wore were exactly the same as the ones Fai wore now.

Fai allowed for a sorrowful expression to appear on his face. "What happened here?" Syaoran breathed in barely a whisper. Mokona nuzzled closer to the collar of his jacket. Seeing all the bodies made Syaoran a little dizzy and teetered in his steps.

"Syaoran-kun, are you alright?" Fai asked worriedly. Syaoran steadied himself quickly and nodded back at Fai. "I'm alright, let's keep going, Sakura's feather must be close." The other three followed as he pressed onward.

"Maybe my feather caused all this…" Sakura quietly said to herself, her voice full of regret. In response Fai placed a gentle hand on one of her shoulder, smiled warmly at her and shook his head.

"By the looks of it, it was caused by some sort of monster." Kurogane added. Sakura smiled back at them, they were both trying to make her feel better.

They finally entered the Throne Room and centered in the middle of the large room was an enormously elegant throne with a man staring back at them. He was dressed in long, white royal robes with raven black hair reaching as long as his lower back. His icy gaze sent shivers up their spines. And the smirk that played on his lips indicated that he had been waiting for them.

"Welcome back, Fai" he paused and scanned the rest of the group. "and welcome new friends."

Despite his polite words, the tone underneath was unsettling. The others looked over at Fai; he was expressionless. Kurogane glared back at the pale man across the room.

"Who the hell are you?" he pointed his katana at the man accusingly.

Syaoran stepped in front of Sakura and unsheathed his sword as well.

The man only chuckled back lightly. "I have no business with you yet. But I have someone who wishes to see you, Fai."

As he completed his sentence he revealed a small figure that had been concealed behind his long robes. A small boy with bright blue eyes and light blond, wavy hair; it looked like Fai if he was younger.

The others looked at the child in confusion. When Kurogane glanced back over at Fai he was taken aback to see Fai's eyes wide with horror.

"Fai's who's that? It kinda looks like you…" Sakura whispered. While Fai's mouth was still gaping open, nothing came out.

Movement from the child caused them to break their concentration from Fai. It was pointing at him.

"_You killed me…" _its voice was hostile and aimed directly at Fai.

And with these words Fai fell to all fours and began sobbing.

**I decided to continue after all :P This was just SO much fun to write, I enjoy writing about Fai in this manner, it's a big turning point in the plot for his and Kurogane's character! Too bad it didn't make it in the anime. Please Review! Thanks for reading!**


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